Valley interlude

Yosemite Valley - a seven square mile chunk of the greater national park - is only a little over four hours away from San Francisco, but it took me several years and a false start or two to finally make the trip. The main difficulty is that the available campgrounds fill up six months ahead of time, so one either has to be on the ball or lucky to snag a reservation; this time, I was lucky.

Little did I know going in, though, that what was conceived as a contemplative, relaxing weekend would turn into a jarring battle for survival.*

I was a resident for two nights - all I could get in the way of a reservation - in the valley this weekend. In the weeks leading up to my trip, I researched the park's geography, spent some extra time in the gym, and practiced my bear insults.**

The approach into Yosemite Valley begins above the snow line, descends through a controlled burn zone, and then - suddenly - thrusts you into a collective of nature's supermodels (the top photo is taken from a vantage point close to a main road). Big moments abound: granite masses, towering waterfalls, picturesque pine groves. Once you're inside, though, it seems that everywhere you turn, something meaningful is happening: stillness in a meadow, a stream crossing your path, a pure sky.

I spent a good portion of Friday hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls and back. In shot #3 below, I'm perched on a rock, about a basketball court's length from the mouth of the falls, at which point there is a 2,400 foot shortcut back to the valley floor.

Awesomely, though, I didn't bite it one time on the trek back down. Until, of course, I was in full view of a massive group of people. In a spot on the trail where nobody should ever fall. At that point, though, my legs were tired and wobbly, as if they were holding up an old chair.

To paraphrase Josiah Whitney, much of what can be found in Yosemite "...would be considered an impossibility if it were not there before us in all its reality."

The best glimpse that many people get into the park is in photographs. Now that I know you've seen photos...be in the other group.

*Not intended to be a factual statement.

**"Hey, bear! Your mother's so fat, she eats an entire food locker whole! As a snack!"